#suosuo

[xiaodouzi100508]

¡El bebé no está gordo!

Texto – Medianoche.

Durante la prueba del resort de un amigo, Wang Yibo y Xiao Zhan fueron invitados a llevar a Suo'er a jugar.

"Hay una piscina cubierta allí, ¿seremos el primer grupo de personas en nadar?" Wang Yibo lo esperaba con ansias, sus ojos brillaban y Suo’er en sus brazos lo miró, como si pensara en lo que es nadar.

"Está bien.” Xiao Zhan sonrió y pellizcó la cara de Suo'er suavemente, "SuoSuo aún no ha nadado, así que lo llevé a intentarlo. ¡Se acerca el primer desfile de trajes de baño de nuestro Suo’er!”

Wang Yibo tocó el vientre regordete de Suo’er, imaginando cómo se vería en traje de baño, y no pudo evitar reír.

"¿Qué es… nadar?" Suo'er parpadeó con sus grandes ojos y miró a Xiao Zhan y Wang Yibo. Los dos adultos estaban demasiado emocionados, pero Suo'er todavía estaba en la oscuridad.

"Nadar significa chapotear en el agua", pensó Wang Yibo durante mucho tiempo antes de dar esta explicación. Xiao Zhan enseñó los dientes y dijo: "¡Eres realmente bueno describiéndolo!".

"¿Tomarse un baño?"

Suo'er dio en el clavo, y los dos papás asintieron, "Así es, el bebé es tan inteligente, es como tomar un baño, sólo que tienes que jugar en el agua por un tiempo."

"Está bien~" Suo'er agitó su brazo, "El bebé quiere nadar~"

La temperatura de la piscina cubierta es muy adecuada, además de las zonas públicas, también hay salas privadas.

Los amigos se enteraron de que Xiao Zhan y Wang Yibo vendrían, por lo que organizaron especialmente una habitación individual con la mejor y más grande vista para ellos.

Suo'er estaba en brazos de Wang Yibo, un niño pequeño tendrá miedo de llegar a un entorno desconocido, rodeó el cuello de su padre con los brazos y miró a su alrededor con curiosidad. Solo había tres en el vestuario. Xiao Zhan y Wang Yibo rápidamente se pusieron sus trajes de baño y con entusiasmo comenzaron a cambiar la ropa de Suo'er.

"¡Perfecto!" Xiao Zhan parecía estar jugando a un juego de disfraces y apreciando su propio trabajo. No fue suficiente para él tocar el estómago de Suo'er, sino que también le indicó a Suo'er que girara en círculos de 360 grados y presumiera su traje de baño.

Este fue elegido especialmente para Suo'er, es un pequeño traje de una sola pieza con dibujos de cerditos y conejos.

"El bebé es tan hermoso~" Cuando Suo'er escuchó los elogios de Xiao Zhan, se cubrió la cara tímidamente, abrió lentamente los dedos y miró a papá con vergüenza.

Wang Yibo sonrió y pellizcó la carne alrededor de la cintura de Suo’er, así como las piernas expuestas, y sonrió: "Su figura es muy grande jajajajaja."

"De ninguna manera, nuestro Suo'er tiene una figura estándar" Xiao Zhan tomó a Suo'er y salió, "Todos los bebés son así~"

"Me pregunto si hay un flotador adecuado para él", murmuró Wang Yibo, recogiendo varios flotadores de diferentes tamaños y siguiéndolos.

"Um..." Probó varios, o demasiado grandes, o demasiado pequeños, e incluso había uno que estaba atrapado en su vientre ligeramente redondo y no podía moverse.

"Hijo, ¿normalmente no estás comiendo demasiados bocadillos?"

Suo'er levantó la cabeza, pareció entender lo que quería decir Wang Yibo y frunció los labios: "¡¡El bebé no está gordo!!" Después de decir esto, se tocó el estómago tímidamente, pero todavía una cara desafiante.

"No está gordo, no está gordo. Es porque el flotador es demasiado pequeño y no hay uno adecuado para el bebé, ¿verdad?" Xiao Zhan abrazó a Suo'er y le dijo: "Está bien, deja que papá te sostenga y nademos, ¿de acuerdo?"

"De acuerdo."

Wang Yibo no tuvo elección: "Bien, papá sostendré al bebé".

"Bien..."

Wang Yibo abrió los brazos en el agua y esperó para sostener al pequeño dumpling. Xiao Zhan sostuvo a Suo'er en la orilla, parecía que quería meterse en el agua pero no se atrevía.

Tan pronto como sus pequeños pies tocaron el agua, Suo'er inmediatamente los levantó.

"Papá, tengo miedo".

"Está bien. Mira, papá está esperando a Suo'er allí abajo. Papá pronto tendrá al bebé en sus brazos. No tengas miedo".

Suo'er miró a Wang Yibo, "Papá~"

"Aquí, ven, papá sostendrá a Suo'er como suele hacer cuando se baña. ¿Suo'er no es muy feliz cuando se baña?"

"Hmm ..." Suo'er miró la piscina, luego pensó en la bañera de su casa, y pronto cooperó con Xiao Zhan y se entregó a Wang Yibo.

"Ah, ah, ah—" susurró Suo'er. Cuando el agua apenas cubrió su vientre, no estaba muy acostumbrado. Más tarde, descubrió que el agua de la piscina era cálida y cómoda, por lo que descansó tranquilo en los brazos de Wang Yibo.

"¿Qué tal, es divertido?".

Suo'er asintió y extendió la mano para agitar el agua a su alrededor, "Es divertido~"

"Papá te llevará a nadar, ¿si?"

"Está bien~", respondió Suo'er secamente, y hábilmente rodeó el cuello de su padre con los brazos y fue conducido hacia adelante por Wang Yibo.

"Wow—" Suo'er sintió el agua fluir sobre su cuerpo, abrió los brazos con entusiasmo y saludó a su padre que no estaba muy lejos.

"¡Papi! ¡Papi! Juega~"

"¿Es divertido?"

"Es divertido~"

Xiao Zhan sonrió, tomó una cama inflable con forma de pequeña tortuga y nadó hacia el padre y el hijo. Cuando Suo’er vio la cama, se emocionó instantáneamente: "¿Qué es?".

"Es el transporte del bebé" Xiao Zhan llevó a Suo'er a la cama, y el pequeño dumpling se sentó firmemente en el medio, "Yay~"

"También se puede llevar al bebé a nadar con esto" Xiao Zhan empujó suavemente la cama, y Suo'er era como un pequeño navegante, sosteniendo el cuello de la tortuga y luciendo muy feliz.

La familia de tres se lo pasó genial y durante el descanso tomaron bebidas preparadas por sus amigos.

Suo'er sostuvo un vaso que era más grande que su cara y bebi�� durante mucho tiempo. Después de terminar la bebida, se dio unas palmaditas en el vientre, que parecía estar abultado de nuevo.

El pequeño dumpling se acercó al lado de su padre y le tendió la mano a Xiao Zhan para que lo abrazara.

"Bebé, ¿estás cansado?"

"Hmm~" Suo'er negó con la cabeza, "¿No está gordo el bebé?"

Xiao Zhan quedó atónito por un momento, luego sonrió y miró a Wang Yibo: "No está gordo. El bebé aún es pequeño. La carne ahora es toda grasa de bebé. Cuando crezca, se parecerá a su padre".

Suo'er hizo un puchero con su boquita y miró a su padre. Wang Yibo inmediatamente dijo con complicidad: "No está gordo, no está gordo. Papá está bromeando".

Pero a pesar de que papá y papi lo dijeron, Suo'er apretó su muslo parecido a una raíz de loto y suspiró.

Tan pronto como llegó a casa, Suo’er corrió al guardarropa, los dos padres lo siguieron en silencio sin saber por qué.

El pequeño dumpling rápidamente encontró la balanza colocada en la esquina, se paró sobre ella con cuidado y permaneció fijo en ella durante mucho tiempo.

Xiao Zhan y Wang Yibo observaron en la puerta por un momento, luego se miraron con una sonrisa, "Él está bastante agobiado por los ídolos.”

Después de un rato, el pequeño dumpling corrió a la sala y vio a papá y papi sentados en la alfombra, así que se arrojó en sus brazos.

"¿Cuánto pesa el bebé?"

Suo'er murmuró durante mucho tiempo antes de que finalmente perdiera los estribos y dijera lánguidamente: "Bebé... el bebé no conoce los números..."

"Pfft jajajajaja" Wang Yibo no pudo contener la risa, tanto él como Xiao Zhan habían olvidado que Suo'er aún no sabía leer.

"Está bien" Xiao Zhan reprimió una sonrisa, "El bebé no pesa nada. Papá preparó un poco de leche en polvo para Suo'er. ¿Quieres beberla?"

  Suo’er inmediatamente recuperó su energía, se puso de pie y asintió, mirando expectante a Wang Yibo, "Papá, quiero ~".

"Está bien", Wang Yibo no solo le entregó la botella a Suo'er, sino que también le dio bocadillos: "Sólo cuando estés lleno tendrás fuerzas para adelgazar."

Suo'er sostuvo la botella y balanceó los pies, asintió de acuerdo con las palabras de Wang Yibo y tropezó mientras repetía: "Sólo cuando estés lleno tendrás fuerzas para adelgazar wuwuwuw."

[spike-kun-cosplay]

半半子 ~ 索索-Sophia

BANBAN ZI & SUOSUO SOPHIA

Bunny Girls

[michyeosseo]

Thank you for accompanying me in such days.  — I should be the one thanking you for accompanying me.

[thefeastandthefast]

[asiancinemasource]

[ID: Nine screenshots of Cherie Chung and Maggie Cheung as Zhu Suosuo and Jiang Nansun in Last Romance. They show: Both og them standing under an umbrella together, almost completely obscured by the rain. Zhu Suosuo with her arm around Jiang Nansun's shoulders. Both of them standing and talking together, Jiang Nansun's hands are in her pocket and Zhu Suosuo has crossed her arm over to her own hip and is resting her elbow on her hand. Both of them sitting on a couch while Zhu Suosuo eats chocolates and Jiang Nansun speaks, looking contemplative. Zhu Suosuo in a puffy white wedding dress while Jiang Nansun stands between her and the mirror, holding both of her hands. Both of them standing outside, Zhu Suosuo is placing a bouquet of white lillies on the table while Jiang Nansun drinks. Jiang Nansun looking upset with her arms crossed, Zhu Suosuo has an arm wrapped around her shoulders and is offering her a white lily. Jiang Nansun lying propped up in bed while Zhu Suosuo sits beside her pillow, holding one of Jiang Nansun's hands in both of her own. Both of them sitting down with Zhu Suosuo looking down while Jiang Nansun props her head up on her elbow to look at Zhu Suosuo.

/End ID]

Maggie Cheung and Cherie Chung in Last Romance (1988) dir. Yonfan

[guoman]

Zhu Suosuo and Fan Jingang 

[dejjavus]

Ni Ni as Zhu Suosuo in My Best Friend’s Story.

[skullsandwineglasses]

My Best Friend’s Story (2020) Final Review

I’ve written two first impressions of this drama here (first episode impression) and here (episodes 1-7 impression). Beyond the first 7 episodes, I continued to enjoy the drama until episode 24 or so. But when Jiang Nansun returned from Italy, that’s when the drama started to go downhill for me. One good thing that I appreciated in this drama is that the personalities of the characters stayed relatively consistent, which is an accomplishment for cdramas. However, my gripe was with how the ambitions of the characters changed. Even though the plot was quite simplistic in the first half of the drama, it felt like Nansun and Suosuo were actively moving the plot forward. They had agency over their own growth. But in the second half, they were striving for things they didn’t want. Rather, they were coping with life stressors and making compromises. It might sound like a realistic depiction of the unpredictability of life struggles, but what was frustrating about the plot progression was that both Nansun and Suosuo made things harder than they had to be. 

Jiang Nansun

I actually really liked Nansun’s character development. She didn’t just grow for the sake of growing, but we see her potential of becoming someone competent and independent early on. This means that sooner or later, she would become a mature woman over time, but her father’s suicide triggered this growth sooner than expected. 

Despite having an opposite upbringing from Suosuo, Nansun and Suosuo are actually quite similar in terms of their outlook on life and their judgments of people. That’s why they’ve managed to stay best friends for so many years. What’s different between them is that Suosuo has had to stand up and protect herself more often. This means that she’s used to being confrontation. 

Nansun is a bit more reserved. She does things more underhandedly. She’s more of a schemer. When you see how she handled things with Yuan Yuan, we see how she’s not above lying and bribery to safekeep her sense of security. Even Suosuo was shocked about how cleverly and calmly Nansun was able to figure out the truth of her boyfriend’s past with Yuan Yuan. 

But, we also see that Nansun is also capable of being just as spoken as Suosuo. She openly bickers with Wang Yongzeng. She never hesitates to stand up to her dad. When you look at the women in Nansun’s life, you can see where she gets her gumption from. Her aunt is a level-headed, well-traveled business woman. Her mom is a self-aware but oppressed housewife. Her grandmother is an overbearing traditionalist. All three women are resilient, if flawed. Nansun may have had a privileged upbringing, but she’s capable of facing adversity and adapting to changing circumstances. It’s also because of these three women that forced Nansun to have to think for herself.  

I think what a lot of people had issue with is how Nansun handled her father’s outstanding debts. She kept it a secret, refusing to tell anyone about it because she was afraid of burdening them. So, she took it all on herself. As a result, her aunt and her boyfriend misunderstood her and was disappointed that she would choose earning fast money over pursuing her passion. I’m still trying to figure out whether this decision makes sense for her character. Nansun justifies the decision by saying that she doesn’t want to worry and burden her loved ones like her father did. Nansun also said that telling Wang Yongzeng about her problems would just ruin his current passionate and carefree approach to life. 

But one of the reasons why she broke up with Zhang Anren was because he refused to help her in her time of need because he didn’t want to be associated with her dad’s gambling habits. You would think that after having such as a selfish and unreliable boyfriend, she would expect her next boyfriend to be more supportive and compassionate. They writers even set up WYZ to be more compassionate. When he heard the news that Nansun’s dad came to the university to ask Zhang Anren for money, he called all the way from Italy to ask if he could help. So I thought that WYZ would be more involved when Nansun encounters another problem. But no. Instead, Nansun doesn’t even give him a chance to help her because she wanted to protect him from her reality and her struggles. 

We then see a third love interest appear: Li yifan. He’s like a more genuine version of Zhang Anren. He plans everything to the T. He has a clear plan for the future. He’s reliable, dependable, and will guarantee a sense of security. He sees marriage as a contractual partnership, and romantic gestures are superficial. They’re just fantasies that you dreams about when you’re young, but they’re hollow and unsustainable. You know that if you marry him, you won’t have to worry about him being unfaithful and that you’ll always be provided for. He’s direct, transparent, to-the-point, and no nonsense. His ex-wife tells Nansun it’s important to find a man who’s is emotional calm and stable. He seems like a perfect marriage partner. I’ve seen lot of comments saying that he’s better suited for Nansun than WYZ is. 

The thing is, while you can’t go wrong if you chose Li yifan, he doesn’t offer anything that Nansun can’t provide for herself. Back in grad school, Nansun liked Zhang Anren because he pampered her, and love and attention was something that she lacked from her family at home. But now, Nansun has learned to love herself and provide for herself. She’s able to give herself a sense of security, and she no longer needs a man to provide it for her. Instead, she wants a partner who is able to emotionally and intellectually stimulate her, and WYZ can provide this. He’s able to show her a different side of life. She’s able to have fun with him. He helps her grow and draws her out of her comfort zone. 

Nansun likes WYZ not because of what he can give her, but because of who he is. That’s why even though he doesn’t help her overcome her obstacles (because she didn’t let him), she still loves him. She likes his personality, his values, his free spirit, his humour. She’s able to provide her own noodles, but he offers the spice. 

The conversation that Nansun has with her aunt also becomes important. Her aunt says that marriage is just a confirmational contract, but it’s not the foundation of a relationship. That’s why her aunt doesn’t feel a need to remarry and is perfectly happy with just dating. 

So in the voiceover during the final scene, Nansun says that she and Susuo continued to live together for the next 5-6 years, implying that she and WYZ didn’t get married. WYZ also mentioned a few episodes ago that marriage and starting a family wasn’t on his agenda. So we as the audience are left to assume that Nansun is following in her aunt’s footsteps and isn’t in a rush to get married or start a family. Just as long as she’s happy spending time with the one she loves, that’s all that matters. She’s finally broken out of her family’s traditionalist values after all and is career-driven. 

Another note is that the library scene during Nansun and WYZ’s reconciliation in the finale was pretty romantic. In fact, I thought their whole relationship arc was cute and really enjoyed seeing it unfold. The chemistry just wasn’t quite there, but most couples in this drama lacked chemistry. 

Zhu Suosuo

Suosuo had an anticlimactic character arc, but she was a pitiful character and arguably the emotional core of the drama. 

She starts off ambitious, headstrong, but naive. She’s the Cinderella character: she’s stuck in her uncle’s judgmental home, dreaming of one day moving out and having her own family and being independent and successful. She’s tricked by a man, but it’s a blessing in disguise because it also puts her on the path of entering the Jinyan company. She finds quick (but shortlived) success as a real estate agent, and gains a reputation at the company. We see her gain momentum as she climbs up the ladder, getting closer to realizing her dream. But it all stagnates when she’s re-assigned to be Jinyan’s assistant. 

She’s no longer running from client to client to try to recruit sales. Instead, she’s now stuck at the office, slowly falling in love with her boss who’s old enough to be her father. She doesn’t really do anything anymore but swoon over Ye Jinyan. And it gets cringey because she begins to assume that he likes her back and begins to act out of line, like questioning his decisions for the company and for his employees. When he scolds her for thinking too highly of herself and her influence in the company when she’s nothing more than just an assistant, she quits. 

This points to a larger problem of the drama. What kind of lesson is the drama peddling? So far, for both Nansun and Suosuo’s storylines, it seems as though the drama is saying that as long as you’re young, pretty, and have rich connections, you’ll be fine. Most of Nansun and Suosuo’s problems have been solved by someone rich (usually Ye Jinyan). It’s unrealistic how fortunate and privileged they are. They knows so many influential people who are ready and eager to help them. 

Another problem is how the drama villainizes people from the country and depicts people from the city as being morally superior. The prime example is Yuan Yuan. She’s portrayed as the greedy, scheming, love rival who wants to get in the way of all of Nansun’s relationships. At first, I was annoyed at how lazy it was to bring her back to try to steal WYZ. But on second thought, it was interesting to see how differently Nansun reacts to Yuan Yuan compared to a year ago, and how uninterested WYZ is in her compared to Zhang Anren. It shows that Nansun has matured. She’s no longer jealous of Yuan Yuan because she’s confident and secure in her relationship with WYZ, and she trusts him in a way that she couldn’t trust Zhang Anren. And that’s because WYZ’s behaviour makes him worthy of being trusted. 

Yuan Yuan’s appearance also gives Suosuo a chance to show her rage and protective side. It was really satisfying seeing Suosuo call out Yuan Yuan’s intentions. 

I lost interest in watching Suosuo’s relationship with Jinyan. By that point in the drama, Suosuo seemed to have lost her drive to further her career. So while she’s still as headstrong, outspoken, and flirty as ever, her ambitions have changed. I’m also trying to understand why Suosuo fell for Jinyan. Is it the idea of being liked by the most powerful man in the company? Is it because he’s aloof hard to get? She wants a home and family, things that he is unlikely to give. And yet, she’s drawn to him. Not Yang Ke who’s smart and not Xie hong zu who worships her. 

What’s more curious is Jinyan’s side of the relationship. At first it’s ambiguous. He cares for her, but doesn’t show it outright. You then learn that it’s because Suosuo has the exact same birthday as his daughter who committed suicide, and he still blames himself for being an absent father. So he’s trying to repent by doing his best to protect and love Suosuo, whom he treats as a stand-on for his deceased daughter. But then there are moments that make you question that line of reasoning. He reminisces the time he spends with Suosuo. He accidentally calls his secretary by her name. He drinks to try to numb the pain of her absence. He’s enraged when she quits. He cries when gets she married (and it’s not the kind of happy crying that a parent would have, but it looks like a kind of regretful crying where he turns his back to the camera, takes off his sunglasses, and blinks the tears away). Or maybe it is a kind of worried parental crying because he knows that she won’t have a happy marriage with Xie hong zhu. It’s all very hard to tell. Does he love her platonically is romantically? Maybe a bit of both. He’s probably unsure himself. 

Suosuo seemed to jump into marriage with Xie hong zhu too quickly. She admits that it’s partly out of spite from being rejected by Jinyan, but it’s also because she realizes that Xie hong zhu is probably her best choice now. Suosuo and Nansun’s lives seemed to have switched: at the beginning of the drama, Nansun was the one who dreamed of romance and marriage, while Suosuo dreamed of freedom of success. Now, Suosuo is the one who’s eager to find a romantic partner, while Nansun is trying to find a foothold in her profession. But when you think about it, that’s who’ve they been all along. Even though Suosuo said that romance is a lie and an unreliable fantasy, a part of her still hopes to find happiness with someone who truly loves her. Nansun starts off having a seemingly devoted boyfriend, so romance was never something she thought she lacked, which was why in the end, she was able to figure out what she really wanted out of her love live. My mom always tells me to find someone who loves me more than I love them. Suosuo seemed to have taken this route. I think that you should love someone because of who they are, even if they might not love you back. Nansun was lucky to have found someone she loves who loves her back. Suosuo wasn’t as lucky. 

After a long and bumpy road, Suosuo finally returned to basics and is working in sales again. But I was just disappointed at how they stunted her career growth just as she was rising. 

Nansun and Suosuo’s relationship

My initial criticism was that they weren’t really involved in each other’s lives. But that changed when Suosuo leaves her uncle’s place and is taken in by Nansun’s family. And then Nansun’s family falls into financial ruin and Suosuo takes them in her new place. And then Nansun’s father dies and her mother leaves, leaving only Nansun and her grandmother, whom Suosuo treats as her own grandmother. And they get even closer when Suosuo has a baby. So we see how they get closer and closer through all the problems they face together. But it’s obvious and predictable how devoted they are to each other. So whenever one makes a sacrifice for the other, it’s never a surprise. It’s very sweet and comforting to watch though, and the drama is worth watching for their friendship dynamic alone.

A lot of people criticize Liu Shishi’s acting, and while I also don’t find her to be a strong actor, I think she has good chemistry with Ni Ni. They balance each other out. They both have so much grace and composure. I also really like how evenly split their storylines were. Soulmate and Last Romance seemed to be biased towards the bubbly character more (i.e., Zhou dongyu and Cherrie Chung respectively), but in this drama, no lead had more screen time or priority than the other. 

The male leads

Nothing needs to be said about Chen Dao Ming. He’s untouchable. I’m not even qualified to talk about him. Dong Zi Yan did the best with the script he was given. He was childish, immature, lovesick, hurt, conflicted, remorseful. You felt sorry for him even though he was an unlikable character. Tony Yang had a flat character, so he wasn’t given much to work with, but his Taiwanese accent was distracting, and I’m not even a fluent mandarin speaker, I’m cantonese. So it must have been more annoying for native speaker. A lot of people complained about him, but I think he looks good in modern day clothes, and he fits the role of a casual, laid back, handsome architect well. He looked terrible and sleazy in The Rebel Princess though. 

Supporting characters

Fan Jin Gang, Yang ke, and Xia Qian (the aunt) are definitely people you want to have in your life. They are infinitely wise and compassionate, but very blunt. Yuan Quan definitely embodies the worldly aunt stereotype. You wish you could be her when you grow up. 

Overall, I would say that this is a good drama. Probably a 7.5/10. It’s really slow, but I didn’t skip any scenes. I started watching it for Liu Shishi and Ni Ni, and then I watched it for the relationships, and then I watched it for the conversations that the characters had. There are a lot of good life advice in this drama, and it makes you reflect on your own relationships with friends and family. It’s a thoughtful story. 

The OST was great, the cinematography tried too hard to be nostalgic, and the outfits were fashionable. When they went to “Italy” you could tell that they just chose a European-style neighbourhood in China and then put in clips from Europe.  The drama used the long, overhead drone shot that slowly pans out in the last scene of the finale. It’s such an overused shot. Off the top of my head, I remember that Lost Romance does this, and so does Ashes of Love, The Rebel Princess, and My Girlfriend is an Alien. While cheesy, I do find these drone shots pretty impressive, especially when you wonder where the rest of the crew is hiding. But I feel like this drama would have been better off ending with a montage of their lives 5 years later. After all, this is a drama about personal growth and the passage of time, so it only makes sense to see how much has changed in 5 years instead of being told in a voiceover. I know they wanted the last shot to be of Nansun and Suosuo standing together, but I think it might be more impactful to see them separated, but still staying strong despite the distance. 

I could probably go on and an about this drama. You could go into a deep dive analysis about every character. 

Ni Ni outfit appreciation:

Here are the brands of some of the outfits. 

[cfensi]

Review: My Best Friend’s Story

Review: My Best Friend’s Story

“As close as we are, I can’t choose for you. But when you do charge forward with your decisions, know that even if you retreat in defeat, there’s someone to catch you.” – Jiang Nansun to Zhu Suosuo in My Best Friend’s Story. A belated review for one of my favorite dramas of the past year, My Best Friend’s Story 流金岁月. The series by director Shen Yan is a rare Chinese modern series that…

[suosuoaifos-blog]

Mate

[beyourselfchulanmaria]

“儘管我們離得很近，我卻無法為你做決定。 然而當你向前衝鋒時，要知道即使你戰敗退陣了，也會有個人接住你的。

As close as we are, I can’t make your decisions for you. But when you do charge forward, know that even if you retreat in defeat, there’s someone to catch you.”

– Jiang Nansun to Zhu Suosuo in My Best Friend’s Story.《流金歲月》中的對白

Loving how long Fall's fabulous colors are lingering this year 🍂

[xiaodouzi100508]

Un día en el equipo de grabación (Parte de papá)

Texto – Medianoche.

Después de que Xiao Zhan terminó de filmar, trajo a Suo'er de regreso a Beijing y, Wang Yibo se fue a Shanghái a rodar una película después del roadshow.

Como no se habían visto en mucho tiempo, Xiao Zhan y Wang Yibo se extrañaban muchísimo. Suo'er pensaba a menudo en su padre, por lo que Xiao Zhan tomó la decisión de tomar al pequeño bollo a Shanghái para visitar el equipo de filmación.

El equipo hizo un buen trabajo manteniendo las cosas en secreto. Ni siquiera las imágenes de los paparazzi se filtraron. Xiao Zhan se sintió aliviado y saludó a Lele con anticipación, sin decírselo a Wang Yibo todavía para darle una sorpresa.

"¿Papá?" Xiao Zhan envolvió fuertemente a Suo'er y lo sostuvo en sus brazos, revelando dos grandes ojos.

"Papá todavía está filmando. ¿Qué tal si vamos al salón a esperarlo y darle una sorpresa? Papá ni siquiera sabe que Suosuo está aquí para verlo".

"Está bien ~" Suo'er no podía estirar sus manitas, por lo que solo podía sacudir los pies y levantar la cabecita para expresar su felicidad, "Papá ~ Papá ~"

Wang Yibo estaba rodando un drama republicano, sus ropas eran relativamente sencillas, e incluso su ropa estaba envejecida a propósito y tenía algo de polvo, lo que también estaba pensado para la trama.

La escena de la mañana terminó relativamente temprano. Wang Yibo planeaba regresar al salón para llamar a Xiao Zhan, mostrarle su rostro deshonrado y ser un poco coqueto.

Inesperadamente, cuando abrió la puerta, vio a Xiao Zhan sosteniendo a Suo'er sentado frente al espejo de maquillaje, y al pequeño bollo que se veía bonito frente al espejo.

"¿Baobao?"

Suo'er vio primero a Wang Yibo en el espejo, alzo alegremente ambos brazos y le saludo: "¡Papá!".

Wang Yibo dio dos pasos rápidos, sostuvo a Suo'er en sus brazos, bajó la cabeza y besó a Xiao Zhan antes de que pudiera levantarse.

"Mi hijo te extraña", sonrió Xiao Zhan, "Yo también te extraño".

"Lo sé" Wang Yibo tocó la punta de la nariz de su amante, sin olvidar besar la carita de Suo'er, "¿Cuánto tiempo llevas esperando a papá?"

"Un ratito~" Suo’er se agarró los dedos y se dio cuenta de que realmente no sabía contar, sonrió tímidamente y puso la mano en la cara de Wang Yibo, "¡Echo de menos a papá!".

"Papi también echa de menos a Suo'er, ¿has escuchado a papi en casa?".

"¡Si! ¡Bebé y papá duermen juntos!"

"Tsk." Wang Yibo pellizcó la cara de Suo'er, "Estás tomando el lugar de papá, ¿no?".

"¡Papá no está!"

"¡Eso no está bien!"

"¡Ay Wang Yibo!" Xiao Zhan no podía escuchar, "¡No hagas ruido!"

"Oh ..." Wang Yibo frunció los labios, miró a Xiao Zhan con entusiasmo, señaló su rostro y dijo: "Mira lo miserable que soy. ¡Varias personas me golpearon y rodé por el suelo varias veces!"

"¡Hay gente mala!", Preguntó Suo'er con ansiedad, "¿Por qué están peleando?"

Xiao Zhan miró al padre y al hijo con una sonrisa burlona, Wang Yibo no supo vender su miseria y fue cortado por su hijo.

"Eh... Papá estaba filmando, no realmente siendo golpeado".

Suo'er asintió, luego miró la ropa de Wang Yibo con una expresión de disgusto, "Umm... ¡Papá está sucio!" Después de decir eso, extendió la mano hacia Xiao Zhan para abrazarlo.

"¡Mocoso!", Wang Yibo pellizcó la nariz de Suo'er, "Deja que el tío Lele te lleve a comprar algo delicioso, ¿si? Papá hablará con papi un rato".

"¿No puede escuchar el bebé?" Suo'er miró a Xiao Zhan y comenzó a hacer pucheros, "Papi~"

"Suo’er, ¿no quieres comer bollos? ¡Hay bollos cerca de aquí que es muy delicioso!", Wang Yibo tentó a Suo'er, y el pequeño se sintió realmente tentado, "¡Come! ¡Papá también comerá!"

"De acuerdo, entonces el bebé irá a comprárselo a papá para que se lo coma, ¿si?" Xiao Zhan besó la carita de Suo'er, "Ve con el tío Lele, ¿de acuerdo?".

"Está bien~"

Lele abrazó obedientemente a Suo'er y se encontró con la protagonista femenina en el camino.

La protagonista femenina es la compañera de Xiao Zhan en el último drama y conoció a Suo'er antes.

"¿Está Suosuo aquí? ¿Dónde está tu papi?", Preguntó la protagonista femenina con una sonrisa mientras sostenía la pequeña mano de Suo'er.

"¡Con papá! Bebé… bebé va a comprar pan~"

"Estos dos son muy buenos para dejar que los niños salgan a comprar cosas" La protagonista femenina bromeó con una sonrisa y Lele se encogió de hombros: "No se puede evitar, ha pasado demasiado tiempo, está bien que esté aquí".

"Entonces yo también iré. Justo a tiempo para comprar juguetes para Suosuo, nadie está filmando por aquí" La protagonista femenina apretó suavemente el bracito de Suo'er, "¿Está bien, bebé? ¿Puede la tía comprarte algo divertido?"

"Gracias, tía~" Suo'er le sonrió a la protagonista, mostrando sus dientes sin dudarlo.

"De nada bebé, eres tan bueno".

Cuando Suo'er regresó, el brazo de Wang Yibo todavía estaba en la cintura de Xiao Zhan. Suo'er sostenía un bollo en una mano y un juguete en la otra, "¡Papá! ¡Papá! ¡El bebé ha vuelto!"

"Wow, eso es genial." Xiao Zhan le quitó la mano a Wang Yibo, rápidamente levantó a Suo'er, miró el cochecito que tenía en la mano y preguntó: "¿El tío Lele le compró esto a Suo'er?"

"¡No, fue la tía!"

"¿Qué tía?"

"Li laoshi", dijo Lele, "la encontré en el camino".

"Entonces invitémosla a comer", Xiao Zhan se volvió hacia Wang Yibo y le pidió.

"Está bien."

"¿El bebé le dio las gracias a la tía?"

Suo'er asintió, "Sí ~"

"Muy bien" Xiao Zhan abrazó a Suo'er y se sentó en el sofá, "¿Veamos qué comida deliciosa compró el bebé?"

"¡Cuernos!" Suo'er mostró con orgullo los resultados, "También hay fresas~"

Wang Yibo sonrió, normalmente se los compraba a Xiao Zhan, pero no esperaba que Suo'er todavía los recordara.

Ya era casi la hora, "¿Suo'er? Papá va a trabajar” Wang Yibo atrajo la atención de Suo'er. El pequeño bollo de hecho se dejó engañar y miró a Wang Yibo con ansiedad.

"Vamos, dame un beso" Wang Yibo puso su rostro frente a Xiao Zhan, y Xiao Zhan lo besó sin decir nada. Cuando llegó a Suo'er, el pequeño bollo dudó.

"Vaya, papá está tan sucio, ¿Suo’er no besará a papá? Que triste".

"No…" Suo'er rápidamente rodeó el cuello de Wang Yibo con sus brazos y le dio un gran beso, "¡Amo a papá!"

Wang Yibo sonrió y dijo: "Sé bueno".

Por la noche, después de que Wang Yibo se duchara, tan pronto como levantó la colcha, una pequeña bola de masa rodó en sus brazos y dijo: "¡Abrazo a papá!".

"¿No te importa que papá esté sucio?" Wang Yibo abrazó a Suo'er y a Xiao Zhan y les dio un beso en la frente.

"¡Papá huele bien!" Suo'er giró su trasero y subió, besó la barbilla del Wang Yibo, luego se dio la vuelta y besó la de Xiao Zhan, "¡Papi también huele bien!"

"Está bien~" Xiao Zhan le devolvió el abrazo a Wang Yibo, "Entonces tengamos un dulce sueño".

"¡Bien!"

[spike-kun-cosplay]

半半子 ~ 索索-Sophia

BANBAN ZI & SUOSUO SOPHIA

Jeanne d'Arc Alter & Saber Alter

[Fate/Grand Order]

[pinkicedvovo-blog]

Imperial meals in the Qing Palace were dominated by the Manchu cuisine, but they also included the Shandong and the Suzhou – Hangzhou cuisines. These three cuisines were influenced by and blended with one another. A course might be made of raw materials from Northeast China, but its cooking method and taste might have Shandong or Suzhou – Hangzhou cuisine characteristics. Likewise, a dish of the Shandong or Suzhou – Hangzhou cuisine was often prepared by a cook of the Manchu nationality. Through longtime cooperation and exchange, the cooks of the Manchu and Han nationalities catered to the Qing ruler’s tastes and desires for the banquets and feasts. Under the restrictions of the Qing Palace regulations, systems, and rites, they learned from each other and helped each other create new imperial meals that varied from the cuisines of the three different localities and also varied from the imperial meals of the preceding dynasties.

The eating habits and traditional cooking methods of the Manchus dominated in the preparation of the Qing Palace imperial meals. The imperial meals were limited to dishes from the imperial kitchen and the bakery under the Office of Palatial Affairs. The imperial kitchen and bakery only served the emperors and the royal family.

The imperial kitchen and bakery prepared mainly Manchu foods early in the dynasty, nut mixtures of Manchu and Han foods in the latter period. There was a strict difference between the Manchu and Han dishes served at the banquets and feasts. The standards for the Manchu courses were higher than for the Han courses.

Of all banquets held in the Qing Palace, the most famous and magnificent were the old men’s birthday banquet (especially the grand birthday banquets given by Emperor Qianlong in 1790 to celebrate his 80th birthday). Both banquets served mainly hot pots of wild game and Manchu buns, which are representative dishes of the Manchus.

The Manchu sacrificial rites were fixed by the Qing Palace as national rites. Rules were fixed for the sacrifices, the sacrificial meat, sacrificial wine, and the offerings. The offering of food had to follow the ancestral system.

Every year the Qing Palace had large quantities of sacrificial offerings. As a rule, these offerings were shared by the emperors, the Royal Family, palace officials, eunuchs, and guards. The eating customs for the sacrificial offerings profoundly influenced the imperial meals and were a component of the imperial food. This was because the mats, fruits, wines, cakes, buns, vegetables, dried dishes, and sweet foods were often the foods served at the emperors’ meals.

The raw materials from Northeast China that were used for the imperial meals far surpassed those from other provinces in the number of tributes, quantity, and expense. It was cold in Northeast China, nearly the same as in Beijing, and the transportation was easier. More importantly, the people in Northeast China catered to the eating habits of the Qing Dynasty rulers.

After the raw materials came to Beijing, the annual family dinners the emperors gave on the eve of the lunar New Year’s Day were prepared in the Manchu tradition. Moreover, the delicacies and wild game, native specialties, and river and sea food from Northeast China were more nutritious and could be made into various exotic dishes. In the early years of the Qing Dynasty, the raw materials from Northeast China were the ones used in imperial meals. The eating habits and cooking of the Manchu nationality dominated the imperial meals of the Qing Palace.

The valuable raw materials used in the imperial meals were gathered from all parts of the country. They were a collection of rare foods, and the dishes prepared from them were rare and in the highest quality.

Originally, most of the cooks and cooking staff in the Qing Palace were Manchus, but this began changing around the middle of the dynasty. Because of the social and economic developments in the more than 260 years of the Qing Dynasty, changes also occurred in the expenses allocated for palace banquets, feasts, and dinners; the taste preferences of the royal family; and the composition of the ingredients for the imperial meals.

Before Kangxi’s Reign (1662 - 1722), the Manchu rulers maintained their traditional eating habits, so the raw materials generally came from around Beijing, Mongolia, and Northeast China. A few ingredients also came from other parts of the country. After Qianlong’s reign, a clear change took place in the source of the raw materials, so that more came from Northwest China, including Xinjiang, and China’s southern provinces.

The tributes from the south helped increase the variety in the imperial meals, and Emperor Qianlong preferred southern – style food. Emperor Daoguang and Emperor Xianfeng (1821 - 1861) ate less food cooked in the southern style. Emperor Daoguang occasionally took a meal of the Qianlong reign, but his regular food was cooked in the northern style.

The imperial food during the Tongzhi Reign (1862 - 1875) was even richer and more colorful than in the Qianlong Reign. Its raw materials came mainly from areas north of the Yellow River and from Northeast China. Except for bird’s nest from Fujian, an indispensable tribute to the palace, the specialties originally produced in the south, like ham, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and vegetables, could also be made or cultivated in northern areas. Because Emperor Guangxu liked seafood, the coastal areas greatly increased their tributes of shark’s fin, abalone, sea cucumber, prawns, jellyfish, and kelp. In short, the raw materials for the imperial food varied with emperors’ preferences.

Some products rarely found among the common people were kept in regular supply in the Qing Palace. According to a record, “different varieties of grapes from Xinjiang are found in white, red, and purple colors, the longest looking like horse nipples. A small variety is named Gonglingsun, another small variety is called Suosuo. They were transplanted to the imperial garden during Kangxi’s reign.”

“Prior to the 20th year of Kangxi’s reign, the ancestral emperor happened upon an ear in the rice field in the Lush Green Garden quite different from the common ears. This rice was slightly red. The ear was gathered to be grown in a fertile field the next year. For more than 40 years afterwards, the rice was used for imperial meals, and it could not be obtained elsewhere outside the palace…”

“In The autumn hunting season of the16th year of Qianlong’s reign, Taijibiligunda from Mongolia outside the Great Wall presented an albino roe deer to the emperor. It was as pure white as snow and its eyes were as red as cinnabar. It was presented on 60th birthday of the Empress Dowager. Emperor Gaozong (Qianlong) called it good luck and tied a poem to it. In the next autumn hunting season, the roe deer gave birth in an enclosure built by the mountainside to a young roe deer with pure white hair. This was the only one ever seen…”

“Kandahan was found in Heilongjiang. Bigger than deer, it lives in mountains but takes to water.”

During the more than two centuries of the Qing Dynasty, all rare fruits, fowl animals, fish, and birds that could be found in the world were either captured personally by His Majesty or by the army, or were sent as tributes to the emperor. These delicacies were then cooked in the imperial kitchen.

The dishes had simple names, and more importance was attached to their taste than to their variety. Most imitation Qing Palace imperial dishes served today are named for the dragon or phoenix, or else their names sound beautiful, ostentatious, mysterious, or fantastic. This is contrary to the imperial meals in the Qing Palace where the dragon was likened to the emperor and the phoenix to the empress; therefore, dishes could not be named after them. It was unlike the style of the Qing Palace to give showy or mysterious names to dishes, or to give more importance to appearance than to quality and taste.

In our research of related historical data and the Qing Palace dietetic archives, we found none of the imperial dishes from Emperor Kangxi down to Emperor Puyi named after the dragon or phoenix. All the names were simple and told what raw materials were used, how the dishes were cooked, or what containers were used to hold them. The only difference between dishes served in the restaurants at that time and the imperial dishes was that the dishes in the imperial kitchen were more carefully and tastefully prepared.

Greater attention was paid to imperial meals during Qianlong’s reign, but giving dishes simple names, monitoring the duration and degree of cooking, and flavoring dishes consistently were constant characteristics of the Qing Palace imperial meals.

The palace had strict standards for cooking and fixed rules for using raw materials. The Qing Palace imperial dishes were handed down from generation to generation. Although the menus were prepared by the chief cook in the imperial kitchen, the emperors checked all dishes and ate more of what they liked and less of what they dishes when he prepared the new menu. The common dishes in the menus were what the emperors most liked. These dishes had to be standardized so the flavors and taste did not change regardless of how many times the same dishes were cooked. There were strict rules for the composition of the ingredients and the cooks could not change them at will.

Attention was paid to primary extracts and primary taste. For example, in preparing a duck course, only duck fat, duck stock, or duck soup could be used, chicken soup or other oils could not be used. In preparing a chicken dish, only chicken fat, chicken stock, or chicken soup could be used. Mutton and pork were prepared the same way.

There were also strict rules for flavorings and auxiliary materials. Only duck was used to make duck soup, only chicken to make chicken soup, and only mutton to make mutton soup. Only water from the Jade Spring Hill was used to cook soup and dishes: “The water from Jade Spring Hill is the lightest and clearest. It has always been used for meals and tea, and is brought to the palace every day by people under the Office of Internal Affairs.” (Collected Records of the Hall of Ancient Cultivation, Vol. 24). While imported flavorings such as pepper, ketchup, and cream were already popular in the markets, they were not used for imperial meals.

Fixed amounts of the major ingredients, auxiliary ingredients, and flavorings were used in the imperial dishes. The weights of dishes and the size, length, and height of the buns and other staple foods were all controlled by strict rules. Increases or decreases were forbidden.

Because the emperors’ tastes differed from person to person, the dishes on their menus also varied. The major ingredients used for Kangxi’s meals were meats of beasts produced in Northeast China, mutton, chicken and pork.

Emperor Qianlong’s menus were richer and more varied, Apart from the delicacies of land and sea produced in Northeast China, he liked bird’s nest, duck, Suzhou cuisine, vegetarian dishes, tea, and fruits, but he disliked river and sea foods. From among the preserved records of his daily meals, it is clear that almost to dishes were made of shark’s fin, sea cucumber, abalone, or fish.

Emperor Guangxu liked seafood. Emperor Dowager Cixi liked duck, smoked and roasted dishes, and dishes made with sugar and vinegar and with fruit flavoring. She also liked mushrooms and fresh vegetables. Emperor Puyi, the last emperor of the Qing Dynasty, liked vegetarian food and Western food, and he did not drink wine.

[thefeastandthefast]

What I really enjoy about this show (other than Suosuo/Nansun stuff like this)

is that, as deeply satisfying it was to watch Nansun finally snapping back in episode 13 to her grandmother’s internalized misogyny and constant microaggressions, I still felt the rightness of Nansun’s decision not to leave granny behind after the only world she’s ever known has fallen apart AND the rightness of Nansun’s mother’s decision to do the opposite. These three women can only begin sorting out the complicated tangle of debts of what they owe and don’t owe to each other now that the family “troublemaker” is out of the picture.

This scene when granny tries to give her jade bracelet to Nansun really hits me in ways Western media about family just doesn’t:  

[asiancinemasource]

[ID: seven screenshots of Jiang Nansun and Zhu Suosuo from Last Romance. They show the two of them standing outside. Jiang Nansun is staring off into the distance with her arms crossed, looking upset. Zhu Suosuo stands next to her, smiling softly and holding a white lily in her hands. She puts her arm around Jiang Nansun, and hold the lily out to her. Jiang Nansun turns her head slightly, not looking at Zhu Suosuo, and takes the lily. She wipes her eyes with the hand holding the flower, and then crosses her arms again. Zhu Suosuo places her now free hand on Jiang Nansun's arm, and speaks. She takes the hand on Jiang Nansun's shoulder, and strokes Jiang Nansun's hair, leaning her head on her shoulder. She places her hand back on Jiang Nansun's shoulder and lifts her head as Jiang Nansun turns her own head slightly to speak to her.

/End ID]

Last Romance (1988) dir. Yonfan